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DULUTH, Minn. (March 22, 2003) -- The USA Hockey Foundation today announced that Jennifer Botterill (Winnipeg, Manitoba), a senior forward from Harvard University, has been selected as the recipient of The 2003 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award. She is the first-ever repeat winner in the six-year history of the award, having also been honored in 2001.

An award of The USA Hockey Foundation, The Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award is given annually to the women's intercollegiate varsity ice hockey player who displays the highest standards of personal and team excellence during the season.

Botterill was recognized at a dinner held earlier this evening here at the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center. Shewas chosen from a group of three finalists that also included junior forward Jenny Potter (Eagan, Minn.) from the University of Minnesota-Duluth, and junior defenseman Angela Ruggiero (Harper Woods, Mich.), also from Harvard.

Botterill and the other finalists for The 2003 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award were chosen by a 13-member selection committee comprised of women's intercollegiate varsity ice hockey coaches, representatives of the print and broadcast media, and a representative of USA Hockey, the National Governing Body for the sport of hockey in the United States.

Candidates for the award must compete for a women's intercollegiate varsity ice hockey team at an NCAA-member institution. Other selection criteria includes outstanding individual and team skills, sportsmanship, performance in the “clutch,” personal character, competitiveness and a love of hockey. Consideration is also given to academic achievement and civic involvement.

This season Botterill became Harvard University’s all-time leading scorer, after racking up 91 points (39 goals, 52 assists) in 26 regular-season games to lead the nation. She also finished the regular season as the nation’s leader in goals and tied with 2003 Kazmaier Award Finalist Jenny Potter for first nationally in assists, while averaging 3.50 points per game.

She co-captained the Crimson to an undefeated regular season, the ECAC regular-season title and the Ivy League title, and a berth in the playoffs with an ECAC-leading 47 points (21 goals, 26 assists) in 14 league contests. Botterill led the league during the regular season in goals and power-play goals with five, and ranked second in assists behind teammate and 2003 Kazmaier Finalist Angela Ruggiero.

A five-time ECAC Player of the Week honoree in 2002-03, Botterill became the all-time leading scorer in NCAA Division I women’s hockey on Feb. 22 when she notched her 313th career point.

In the first weekend of ECAC playoff action, Botterill recorded 11 points (three goals, eight assists) in two games against Cornell to help Harvard advance easily to the semifinal round. In the first game of the series on March 7, Botterill became the all-time leading scorer in NCAA Divison I hockey, men’s or women’s. She broke the previous scoring record of 324 points/ held by Michigan State's Tom Ross, with an assist to record her 325th career point. The ECAC Player of the Year then notched seven points (four goals, three assists) in the Crimson’s final two games of the ECAC playoffs, helping the squad earn a berth in the 2003 NCAA Women’s Frozen Four.

Botterill carries a 3.00 grade-point average and is majoring in psychology. A Robert Stone Scholar at Harvard, she serves on the Faculty Advisory Board, is a participant in community skates and clinics, and serves as a motivational speaker in the community. Botterill is the daughter of Cal and Doreen Botterill, and her brother, Jason, currently plays with the Buffalo Sabres organization.

She was honored with the 2001 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, and was also a member of the 1998 and 2002 Canadian Women’s Olympic Teams, winning silver and gold, respectively.

Botterill was given a custom-designed trophy hand-crafted by Tiffany & Co. The award is named in honor of the late Patty Kazmaier, a four-year varsity letter-winner and All-Ivy League honoree for the Princeton University women's ice hockey team from 1981-82 through 1985-86. An accomplished athlete who excelled in ice hockey, field hockey and lacrosse, Patty Kazmaier-Sandt died on Feb. 15, 1990 at the age of 28 following a long struggle with a rare blood disease.